Fighter demonstration teams make hospital, high school visits

  • Published
  • By Capt. Ashley Norris
  • 452 AMW Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. --  Two days prior to AirFest '10, the F-15E Strike Eagle and the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Teams were already at March Air Reserve Base, hard at work making visits to high schools and hospitals in the local community. The F-15E Demo Team visited the Loma Linda University Children's Hospital on Thursday and Canyon Springs High School on Friday. The F-22 Demo Team split into two groups Friday morning, visiting the Loma Linda Veterans Affairs Hospital and a local high school.

Both fighter aircraft teams visited with patients and talked about their jobs in the Air Force, their duties as demonstration team members, fighter aircraft and the March Field air show. Along with stickers, lithographs, Beacon newspapers and coloring books, the teams brought smiles to many faces.

"It's always nice to have uniformed military personnel come and visit, because the veterans can reminisce about past experiences," said Kristen Hall, Loma Linda VA Hospital Public Relations Specialist.

The VA hospital staff said their work load increased recently because many veterans have lost their private health care, jobs and homes and are turning to the VA for their health care needs.

Robert Washington, a patient at the VA Hospital, rendered salutes to the demonstration team members. Washington was stationed at March Air Force Base for 11 years and retired in 1976.

"I was surprised to see them [the demonstration team] here," said Washington, who said he hadn't known there was an air show that weekend.

"It warms out hearts," said F-22 Demonstration Team member Tech. Sgt. Gabriel Sistrunk about the opportunity to visit with the patients. "It's really good to see American veterans being taken care of."

The F-15E team toured the emergency room, the pediatric cancer ward, the Toyota Learning Center and the heart transplant area at the Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. The children's eyes would light up as the team members walked into the room. A two-year-old cancer patient blew kisses to the team after they placed a sticker on the back of the toy car she was driving.

The staff of both hospitals expressed their thanks to the teams for their time visiting with patients, service to their country and left an open invitation for them to come visit before March Field AirFest '12.